Polybius
Polybius's JournalNew West Virginia Senate poll: Manchin vs. Justice (Justice up by 22)
Read more...
Statement from President Joe Biden on Supreme Court Decision in Sackett v. EPA
Since the Clean Water Act was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress in 1972, it has been used by Republican and Democratic administrations alike to help ensure Americans in every state have clean water. It is the reason why today America’s lakes are swimmable, why we can fish in our streams and rivers, and why clean water comes out of our taps.
Today’s decision upends the legal framework that has protected America’s waters for decades. It also defies the science that confirms the critical role of wetlands in safeguarding our nation’s streams, rivers, and lakes from chemicals and pollutants that harm the health and wellbeing of children, families, and communities.
I am committed to protecting clean air and water for our kids for generations to come. My team will work with the Department of Justice and relevant agencies to carefully review this decision and use every legal authority we have to protect our Nation’s waters for the people and communities that depend on them. We will work with states, cities, and Tribal communities to pass and uphold critical protections for their residents. Through my Investing in America agenda, we’re already deploying historic resources in communities all across America to remove lead pipes, improve water quality, and rebuild the Nation’s drinking water infrastructure.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/25/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-supreme-court-decision-in-sackett-v-epa/
Edited to add that decision was unanimous (9-0) to avoid confusion.
Hillary Clinton Says Dianne Feinstein Should Not Resign
Source: NY Times
Hillary Clinton weighed in this week on a question that has occupied Senate Democrats and much of the party at large for months: whether Senator Dianne Feinstein of California should resign in light of mounting health problems that have made it difficult for her to do her job.
Mrs. Clinton’s answer was no — but largely based on anticipation that Republicans would exploit the vacancy, not on an evaluation of Ms. Feinstein’s health or performance.
“Here’s the dilemma: The Republicans will not agree to add someone else to the Judiciary Committee if she retires,” she told Time magazine on Monday, in an interview published Tuesday night. “I want you to think about how crummy that is. So I don’t know what’s in her heart about whether she really would or wouldn’t, but right now, she can’t. Because if we’re going to get judges confirmed, which is one of the most important continuing obligations that we have, then we cannot afford to have her seat vacant.”
Ms. Feinstein is recovering from shingles, encephalitis and Ramsay Hunt syndrome, all of which kept her out of the Senate for more than two months until early May. She has also been experiencing memory loss and faced some calls to step down even before her latest health problems. But it was her recent absence, which prevented Democrats from advancing some judicial nominations, that caused those calls to spread from mostly left-leaning voters to even a few Democratic colleagues in Congress.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/politics/hillary-clinton-dianne-feinstein-resign.html
Hillary Clinton: Biden has 'good record' but 'people have every right to consider' his age
Source: The Hill
Former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton said even though President Biden has a “good record” as president, “people still have the right to consider” his age as a factor to re-elect him to another term in office — something she said she supports.
During an appearance at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in Washington, D.C., Clinton, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2016, was asked by Financial Times editor Edward Luce about the moment when Biden almost fell walking down the stairs during the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
“Every time that happens, your heart is in your mouth, because these things could be consequential. Is that a concern?” Luce asked Clinton.
“Well, I mean, it’s a concern for anyone. And we’ve had presidents who’ve fallen before who are a lot younger, and people didn’t go into heart palpitations,” Clinton responded. “But his age is an issue. And people have every right to consider it.”
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4016367-hillary-clinton-biden-has-good-record-but-people-have-every-right-to-consider-his-age/
Former New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney withdraws name from consideration for judge no
Source: ABC News
Former New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney withdraws name from consideration for judge nomination
Former New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney wrote a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday to withdraw his name from consideration for a federal judge appointment.
"I write to withdraw my name from consideration for appointment to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. I am honored that you nominated me for judicial service. I am also deeply indebted to Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan for their continued support of my pending nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee," Delaney wrote. "I am most respectful of the Senate's constitutional role in considering my nomination. At this time, I believe it is appropriate for me to withdraw my name from consideration for this position to advance the important work of the federal judiciary. Thank you."
U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan both supported Delaney's nomination. They released a joint statement about his withdrawal.
"We strongly supported Michael Delaney’s nomination to serve as a First Circuit judge. We know personally his strong character and commitment to justice, and he earned the support of New Hampshire and national leaders, from the former Director of the Office on Violence Against Women under President Obama to New Hampshire Supreme Court justices appointed by members of both parties. We disagree with the criticism that has been leveled against him, and we are disappointed that it got in the way of confirming a highly qualified individual."
Read more: https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-michael-delaney-nomination-withdraw/43932843
Dianne Feinstein appreciation thread
I for one welcome her back, and appreciate all that she has done for everyone over the years. I am glad that she didn't step down. Welcome back Senator, we love you!
Democratic US Senator Manchin says he will oppose all EPA nominees
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he would oppose all nominees for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posts until President Joe Biden's administration halts what he described as its "radical climate agenda."
Manchin, who represents the coal-producing state West Virginia, delivered his ultimatum a day ahead of the EPA's planned roll-out on Thursday of its new carbon emission standards for new and existing power plants. He said he worried the rules could cripple coal- and gas-fired power plants.
"If the reports are true, the pending EPA proposal would impact nearly all fossil-fueled power plants in the United States, which generate about 60% of our electricity, without an adequate plan to replace the lost baseload generation," Manchin said in a statement.
The agency is expected to unveil power plant emission performance standards that will lean heavily on the deployment of carbon capture or hydrogen technology to clean up the electric sector, which accounts for a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democratic-us-senator-manchin-oppose-all-epa-nominees-statement-2023-05-10/
Jeffrey Epstein scheduled meetings with Noam Chomsky, CIA director and others: report
Source: Global news
A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director, a top lawyer at Goldman Sachs and several high-profile academic scholars were reportedly named in Jeffrey Epstein‘s private calendar, new reports claim.
According to documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal, several previously unnamed figures may have met with Epstein after 2008, when he pleaded guilty to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution.
The WSJ report, published on Sunday, named a number of people in Epstein’s calendar who had not been identified in his “black book,” which is now public. Among the names allegedly listed in Epstein’s calendar was the current CIA director William Burns, scholar Noam Chomsky, Bard College president Leon Botstein and top Goldman Sachs lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler.
Epstein’s “black book” previously named the likes of Prince Andrew and Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz.
Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/9663991/jeffrey-epstein-calendar-scheduled-meetings-dates-cia-director-noam-chomsky/
Chomsky’s response: “First response is that it is none of your business. Or anyone’s. Second is that I knew him and we met occasionally.”
Jeffrey Epstein's contacts included CIA chief, Noam Chomsky and White House lawyer
Afterwards, court documents and reports identified some of them and the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Wall Street financiers and various Nobel prizewinning scientists were forced to acknowledge meetings with the convicted sex offender.
Now, emails and schedules from the last years of his life show that Epstein also met William Burns, a deputy secretary of state who now leads the CIA, as well as the academic and author Noam Chomsky, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Read more...
